Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog

New 'Roots Rearview' Podcast Recounts Hotz Cafe's 100-Year History

In 2018, the Roots of American Music launched Roots Rearview, a podcast devoted to "celebrating, remembering, and revealing the history and the music of Ohio, the Rust Belt and beyond."

Just this week, local musician and recording engineer Clint Holley, who hosts the series, has released a new episode that centers on Hotz Cafe, a small neighborhood tavern in Tremont.

Hotz Cafe first opened in 1919, and the bar recently celebrated 100 years of family ownership. Holley interviewed members of the Hotz family to talk about how the place transformed from "somewhat of a store," as John Hotz describes its early days. Hotz also recalls the story of how baseball great Babe Ruth once bought everyone at the bar a drink.